The 15 Best Roald Dahl Movies And TV Shows, Ranked

British author Roald Dahl is one of the most celebrated writers of children’s literature in the 20th century, with his work read by millions of readers across multiple generations worldwide. Many of Dahl’s novels and short stories have been adapted into film and television projects, as early as the ’60s. In addition to his literary career, Dahl was also a screenwriter, both of family-friendly projects and more mature fare. These original movies have earned their own fair share of fans over the subsequent decades, adding to his enduring legacy.

Simply put, Dahl’s work continues to stand the test of time long after his passing in 1990, including adaptations of his work on-screen. There is an extensive amount of Dahl adaptations beyond the numerous takes on his 1964 novel “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” each reflecting his storytelling style in its own way. With that in mind, the tones and themes within Dahl’s work and subsequent adaptations are unmistakably quirky. Here are the 15 best Roald Dahl movies and TV shows, ranked.

The most lavish children’s movie that Dahl ever wrote was 1968’s “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang,” the second time that Dahl adapted author Ian Fleming’s work. Co-written by director Ken Hughes, the movie is set in 1910s England and follows single father and inventor Caractacus Potts (Dick Van Dyke) and his two young children. After purchasing and rebuilding a discarded race car, renamed Chitty Chitty Bang Bang, the family becomes involved with heiress Truly Scrumptious (Sally Ann Howes). This leads to a fantasy adventure as the family and their car are targeted by the villainous Baron Bomburst (Gert Fröbe).

Like many movie musicals of its time, “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang” runs for longer than its story warrants, but is still a colorful and engaging children’s movie. The songs are pleasant enough, written by “Mary Poppins” songwriters Robert and Richard Sherman, and gamely performed by Van Dyke and Howes. The movie’s most terrifying figure, the Child Catcher (Robert Helpmann), is right in Dahl’s creative wheelhouse, luring children into his fiendish grasp with candy. Of all the “Mary Poppins” knock-offs in the ’60s, you can do a lot worse than “Chitty Chitty Bang Bang.”

Dahl’s 1982 poetry collection “Revolting Rhymes” was adapted into a two-part animated television movie of the same name in 2016. Just as Dahl’s poems were deconstructive and comedically subversive takes on classic fairy tales, the animated adaptation skewers five fairy tales from the anthology. The television movies use the adventures of Little Red Riding Hood (Rose Leslie) and the Wolf (Dominic West) as a framing device. As the Wolf prepares to get his revenge on Red for what she did to his family years ago, he tells Red’s children bedtime stories while contemplating eating them.

The darker comedy elements from Dahl’s poems, including the fate of the Wolf’s nephews, are intact for this adaptation, even with its family-friendly presentation. This is elevated by an impressive voice cast, with West’s Wolf, Leslie’s Red, and Gemma Chan’s Snow White among the standouts. The Wolf’s vengeance-fueled character arc and friendship between Red and Snow improve upon the source material, offering an emotional alternative to the story’s sardonic wit. As a BBC production, that distinctly British sense of humor is carefully intact and helps “Revolving Rhymes” retain its subversive charm.

Over 30 years since its first film adaptation, Dahl’s 1964 novel “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory” was adapted to the screen a second time by Tim Burton in 2005. Like the novel and previous movie, this version has reclusive chocolatier Willy Wonka (Johnny Depp) hold a contest for winners to tour his legendary candy factory. Impoverished local boy Charlie Bucket (Freddie Highmore) is among the winners, with the other four recipients cartoonishly spoiled children, accompanied by their enabling parents. During the tour, these naughty children suffer the consequences of not heeding Wonka in his magical factory.

Dahl’s story was very much a modern fairy tale, complete with moral messages and the consequences of bad behavior, a sensibility that Burton highlights. That’s evident with the art design of the movie, moving away from the postwar industrialism of the ’70s movie for something more timeless and visually striking. Not everyone appreciated the adaptation, including original star Gene Wilder, especially given the legacy of the 1971 movie. But the 2005 film does largely get a bad rap for being different, with its distinct aesthetics and Depp’s detached portrayal of Wonka being its strongest suits.

Following a 1989 British animated television movie, a big-budget Hollywood adaptation of Dahl’s 1982 fantasy novel “The BFG” had been in the works for years. This project finally came to fruition in 2016 with a lush film directed and produced by Steven Spielberg. London-based orphan Sophie (Ruby Barnhill) is whisked away by the Big Friendly Giant (Mark Rylance) to his home in Giant Country. When human-eating giants plan to terrorize England, Sophie and the BFG team up to construct dreams convincing the British government to defeat the carnivorous behemoths.

“The BFG” may have failed at the box office, but it is a lovingly weird and relatively faithful adaptation of Dahl’s novel. In true Spielberg fashion, the more gruesome elements of the story are excised or downplayed, leaning more into the sentimentality of the tale. The visual effects used to bring the giants and Giant Country to life are gorgeously rendered, fueling the movie’s understated charm. Worth giving a chance despite its tepid theatrical response, “The BFG” is another strong effort from Spielberg in the later stages of his filmmaking career.

The very first cinematic adaptation of Dahl’s work wasn’t based on one of his children’s stories, but rather his 1944 short story “Beware of the Dog.” Adapted under the title “36 Hours,” the 1964 wartime thriller stars James Garner and Eva Marie Saint. Set on the eve of the Allied invasion of Normandy, U.S. Army officer Jeff Pike (Garner) is captured and secretly shipped to Germany. The Nazis attempt to trick Pike into revealing the Allies’ plans for the expected invasion, trying to convince him he had been in a coma for months.

In expanding the short story to a fuller narrative, “36 Hours” really doubles down on the amnesiac aspect of the story to great effect. The audience is aware of the Nazis’ deception, but Pike’s compromised psyche makes that tension that the enemy can succeed in tricking him all the more suspenseful. When the truth of what both sides are concealing comes to light, that makes all that mounting tension come to a head. A unique World War II thriller with a more intimate scope and cerebral approach, “36 Hours” is a solid curio within the library of Dahl adaptations.

One of the more inspired creative decisions for the James Bond franchise was to enlist Roald Dahl to write the screenplay for “You Only Live Twice.” The movie opens with Bond (Sean Connery) faking his death to investigate an American spaceship hijacking. Working with the Japanese secret service, Bond learns that the terrorist organization SPECTRE is behind the hijacking to trigger a war between the United States and the Soviet Union. Bond goes as far as to dubiously disguise himself as a married Japanese man to infiltrate SPECTRE’s hideout and derail their plans.

“You Only Live Twice” is the moment in the film series when the plots grow steadily more outlandish and deviate significantly from Ian Fleming’s novels. Despite veering over the top, the movie is still instantly recognizable as a Bond film, with Dahl sticking to the established James Bond formula. Still, the moment when Bond undergoes cosmetic surgery to resemble a Japanese man is especially ludicrous, as dead-on-arrival in 1967 as it is now. That said, “You Only Live Twice” is Dahl’s best screenplay not based on his own work, a breezy Bond installment that entertains as long as one doesn’t think too hard about it, 

The last novel by Roald Dahl published within his lifetime was 1990’s “Esio Trot,” which was adapted into a television movie by the BBC in 2015. The movie centers on a pair of elderly neighbors, lifelong bachelor Henry Hoppy (Dustin Hoffman) and the widowed Lavinia Silver (Judi Dench). The two neighbors begin to fall in love with each other, with their courtship revolving around the tortoise Lavinia adopted after her husband’s death. Along the way, Henry overcomes his shyness and manages to connect with Lavinia in an innocent courtship.

An on-screen pairing between Hoffman and Dench for a late-in-life romantic comedy is a recipe for cinematic success. Both actors bring plenty of sentimental charm to their respective characters and play off each other well, if in an unassuming way. This cozy tone is underscored by the movie’s easygoing soundtrack, which prominently features music by jazz legend Louis Armstrong. Whimsically inoffensive, “Esio Trot” is saccharine comfort food and a faithful adaptation of one of Dahl’s quieter and more intimate novels.

The most enduring Dahl screen adaptation is 1971’s “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory,” which has become a perennial holiday season favorite. The first cinematic depiction of Dahl’s “Charlie and the Chocolate Factory,” the movie has Charlie Bucket (Peter Ostrum) win a contest to tour the nearby chocolate factory. Greeting Charlie and the other contest winners is the reclusive chocolatier Willy Wonka (Gene Wilder), who quickly proves to be eccentrically unpredictable. As the tour in Wonka’s factory unfolds, the guests fall prey to its dangers as they ignore Wonka’s instructions.

Though “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” had its fair share of critics upon its initial release, including Dahl himself, the movie found greater success on home video and television. Far and away, the best part of the film is Wilder’s performance, who can alternate between whimsical, sardonic, and outright menacing all within the span of a given scene. The movie’s songs are memorable, especially Wilder’s rendition of “Pure Imagination” as he introduces his guests to his factory. As a lightweight adaptation of Dahl’s story, “Willy Wonka & the Chocolate Factory” stands the test of time as a family-friendly staple.

In an era where it feels like every beloved movie property is getting turned into a stage musical, it was inevitable that Dahl’s work got similar treatment. Dahl’s 1988 novel “Matilda,” which was previously adapted into a movie in the ’90s, was turned into a musical in 2011 by Tim Minchin and Dennis Kelly. After successful runs in London’s West End and on Broadway, the musical was adapted into a movie released in 2022. “Matilda the Musical” retells the story of gifted child Matilda Wormwood (Alisha Weir) who perseveres despite malicious parents and cruel school headmistress Agatha Trunchbull (Emma Thompson).

Complete with new songs written specifically for the movie adaptation, including the stage standards, “Matilda the Musical” is the definitive version of the production. Weir excels the lofty expectations in playing the title character while Thompson is deliciously wicked as Trunchbull. On paper, getting “Matilda” to work as a musical in any capacity was a tall order, but it works and that magic translates to the movie. Backed by powerful musical numbers and a solid cast, “Matilda the Musical” is a great update to Dahl’s classic children’s story.

English director Nicolas Roeg got to put his own spin on Dahl’s work with his 1990 adaptation of “The Witches,” based on Dahl’s 1983 fantasy novel. Moving in with his grandmother after his parents’ deaths, Luke Eveshim (Jasen Fisher) is menaced by witches who prey on young children. During a summer holiday with his grandmother, Luke discovers their hotel is also hosting a convention of witches led by the Grand High Witch (Anjelica Huston). Learning that the witches have concocted a potion to transform children into mice, Luke decides to turn the tables on them before they can enact their plan.

Roeg’s adaptation of “The Witches” somehow finds a way to be even creepier than its source material, which is saying something. The practical effects behind the witches’ true forms and spells they use on their victims are the stuff of childhood nightmares. Though it’s a bit too intense for the younger audience it was marketed to, “The Witches” is definitely a frighteningly well-made movie. Leagues above the toothless Robert Zemeckis remake in 2020, the 1990 version is the superior rendition of Dahl’s story.

After helming the widely acclaimed first two “Paddington” movies, British filmmaker Paul King turned his attention to Willy Wonka for the 2023 film “Wonka.” A prequel to the 1971 movie with Gene Wilder, “Wonka” has the eponymous chocolatier (Timothée Chalamet) arrive in England to kickstart his candy business. Wonka finds his new home beset by corporate greed and corruption, with the candy industry especially tightly controlled by a trio of unscrupulous rivals. Armed with his dreams and bizarre but delicious candy recipes, he prepares to inspire the world with his imaginative confectionery.

If his past work with Paddington was about winning over a cynical town with his charm, King’s take on Wonka is about idealism facing the harsh realities of the world. There is a timeless quality to this version of Dahl’s world, and King assembles a fantastic ensemble cast of largely British actors around Chalamet. Chalamet’s portrayal of a younger Wonka was divisively received, but he certainly has the musical chops and bright-eyed earnestness to fuel his performance. In all, “Wonka” feels like a light and old-timey storybook come to life.

Given his own distinctly quirky storytelling approach and vibrant visual aesthetics, there is no American filmmaker perhaps best suited to adapt Dahl’s work than Wes Anderson. In 2023, Anderson adapted four of Dahl’s stories into short films, most notably “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar,” starring Benedict Cumberbatch as the title character. The following year, these shorts were compiled into the anthology movie “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More,” presented like a filmed collection of stage plays. Cumberbatch and his co-stars play various characters across the four vignettes, each featuring ne’er-do-wells of a fashion in vastly different premises.

While the individual shorts work fine on their own, the anthology format really is the best way to experience Anderson’s adaptations. Seeing the set dressings and costumes change between vignettes lends to the stage play aesthetic of the production, as well as showcasing the amount of work involved. And more to the point, these adaptations are just really solid, blending Anderson’s idiosyncratic filmmaking style with Dahl’s stories. Delightfully staged and masterfully performed, “The Wonderful Story of Henry Sugar and Three More” is a great Dahl and Anderson sampler.

The first on-screen adaptation of “Matilda” was released in 1996, directed and produced by Danny DeVito, who plays Matilda’s father, Harrison Wormwood. Starring Mara Wilson as Matilda, the movie has the gifted girl remanded to a boarding school after she begins to demonstrate her powers. As Matilda faces the school’s sadistic headmistress, Agatha Trunchbull (Pam Ferris), she finds solace with her kind teacher, Jennifer Honey (Embeth Davidtz). Matilda uses her abilities to defend herself and her fellow classmates while finding a loving home with Miss Honey.

The ’90s “Matilda” definitely feels of its era, with the gross-out slapstick and tight camera angles popularized by directors like Tim Burton. But decades later, the adaptation still holds up, bizarrely charming in its own way and powered by Wilson and Ferris’ strong performances. Despite the transposition of the story to suburban America, the spirit and themes of the original story are still intact and wonderfully told. Despite initially being overlooked, “Matilda” grew into a true cult classic that has connected with audiences for generations.

After directing “The Nightmare Before Christmas,” filmmaker Henry Selick brought his stop-motion skills to adapt Roald Dahl’s 1961 novel “James and the Giant Peach.” Like the source material, the movie has orphan James Trotter (Paul Terry) escape his cruel aunts by taking refuge in a magically overgrown peach. Floating across the Atlantic Ocean to America, James is joined by similarly enlarged bugs residing within the fruit to form a found family. After enduring adventures on the high seas, James and his friends find fantastic challenges awaiting them in New York before establishing their home.

While initially ignored at the box office, “James and the Giant Peach” is a wonderful family film and the most faithful Dahl adaptation of the ’90s. Sequences within the peach and crossing the Atlantic are elevated by Selick’s stop-motion animation, while scenes on terra firma are largely in live-action. The ensemble cast does fantastic work, particularly Susan Sarandon as Miss Spider, James’ surrogate mother, while the set pieces are genuinely thrilling. An imaginative adventure that honors Dahl and his story, “James and the Giant Peach” is arguably the most underrated Dahl adaptation.

Wes Anderson is just as perfect at adapting Roald Dahl’s work for longer-form stories as he is with the shorter fare. This is evident with Anderson’s first Dahl adaptation, 2009’s “Fantastic Mr. Fox,” a stop-motion animated movie with an all-star voice cast. After nearly dying in a fox trap, Mr. Fox (George Clooney) longs for the thrilling life as a thief instead of the family fox that he’s since become. As Mr. Fox returns to his thieving ways, he incurs the wrath of local farmers, putting him and his family in danger.

As director and co-writer, Anderson came up with original bookends to the story, with the middle of the movie drawing from Dahl’s text. These additions work seamlessly with the story, which is elevated by its themes of familial friction and domestic ennui. The movie’s impressive cast all do solid work, especially Clooney in one of his most underrated performances as the titular protagonist. A beautiful distillation of Anderson’s quirky charm and Dahl’s family-friendly themes, “Fantastic Mr. Fox” is as overlooked as it is absolutely joyous.